Oregon put on probation, but faces no bowl ban

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2011 file photo, Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly leads the team onto the field for an NCAA college football game against Missouri State in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Chip Kelly. The NCAA's Division I Infractions Committee released a report on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, that found Kelly and the university failed to monitor the progr
— AP

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2011 file photo, Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly leads the team onto the field for an NCAA college football game against Missouri State in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Chip Kelly. The NCAA's Division I Infractions Committee released a report on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, that found Kelly and the university failed to monitor the progr
/ AP

FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2012, file photo, Oregon coach Chip Kelly talks with his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Kelly.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)— AP

FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2012, file photo, Oregon coach Chip Kelly talks with his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Kelly.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
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FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2012, file photo, Oregon football coach Chip Kelly watches the clock wind down during the final moments of an NCAA college football game against Colorado in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Kelly. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)— AP

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2012, file photo, Oregon football coach Chip Kelly watches the clock wind down during the final moments of an NCAA college football game against Colorado in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA has taken away a scholarship and placed Oregon's football program on probation for three years for recruiting violations under previous coach Kelly. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
/ AP

The NCAA stripped Oregon of a scholarship in each of the next two seasons and placed the program on probation for three years, opting against stiffer penalties like a bowl ban despite issuing a show-cause order against former coach Chip Kelly, who apologized to the school, its fans and it players.

The NCAA's Division I Committee on Infractions released a report on Wednesday that said Kelly failed to monitor the program for its improper involvement with Willie Lyles and his Houston-based recruiting service.

Kelly was hit with an 18-month show-cause order, a sanction that likely will have limited impact now that he's coaching the Philadelphia Eagles.

The program he left behind faces three years of scholarship reductions, starting last year and extending through 2014-15. It also faces reductions in paid visits and evaluation days, but avoided some of the harsher penalties handed down to other programs in recent years.

"Now that the NCAA has concluded their investigation and penalized the University of Oregon and its football program, I want to apologize to the University of Oregon, all of its current and former players and their fans," Kelly said in a statement. "I accept my share of responsibility for the actions that led to the penalties. As I have I stated before, the NCAA investigation and subsequent ruling had no impact on my decision to leave Oregon for Philadelphia. I have also maintained throughout that I had every intention to cooperate with the NCAA's investigation, which I did."

The NCAA had been looking into Oregon's program for more than two years after learning Oregon had paid $25,000 to Lyles and his recruiting service, Complete Scouting Services.

The NCAA's infractions committee found that Lyles provided cash and free lodging to a prospect, and engaged in impermissible calls and off-campus contact with prospects, their families and high school coaches.

It also said the football program exceeded coaching limits by allowing staff members to engage in recruiting activity.

Through self-imposed sanctions, Oregon lost one new scholarship in 2012-13 and its total number of scholarships was reduced by one from the maximum of 85. It also will lose a new scholarship in 2013-14 and have the total reduced by one each year through the 2014-15 academic year.

The NCAA cut Oregon's official paid visits from 56 to 37 for the next three academic years, reduced its spring and fall evaluation days for each of the next three seasons and banned the program from using recruiting services during the probation period. Oregon must also disassociate itself from Lyles and his recruiting service.

The show-cause order for Kelly will require schools to go before the infractions committee should they wish to hire him, which seems unlikely since the coach just left for the NFL. Former Oregon assistant director of operations Josh Gibson was given a one-year show-cause order after the NCAA said he was aware of Lyles' involvement in recruiting and routinely told him to tell recruits to contact football coaches.

"Listen, no one wants to be in this position so I don't think anybody's happy," Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said. "Again, we're pleased to be at the end of the process and we're ready to move forward. We've learned a lot, some mistakes were made and we corrected some of those along the way and we still have some more things to implement. But we're pleased that it's finished."